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About us

Te Arahanga is nestled in Otaki within the korowai of Ngāti Raukawa. The firm began its life as a Maori economic development agency in 2000 providing financial services and business planning services for Māori businesses in Kapiti and Horowhenua. Founder Daphne Luke, says the catalyst for the establishment of Te Arahanga was the growing demand for services from members of Te Rōpū Pakihi, the Kapiti Horowhenua Māori business network. The backbone of this work was business planning and employment training with Work & Income and Te Puni Kōkiri clients as the Kapiti, Horowhenua, Manawatu provider of Te Puni Kokiri's Māori Business Facilitation Service for over 15 years. The group's business mentors have been responsible for the preparation of over 1200 business plans and hundreds of small business since. Te Arahanga now services clients all over the country.

In 2009, the team initiated the Māori regional economic development strategy, Te Ahowith iwi, Māori in education, general business, health and social services supported by the two local Councils. The strategy seeks to advance Māori wellbeing for all Māori living between Porirua and the Rangitikei River.

Underpinning all Te Arahanga activities, including those of Te Aho are a selection of ten kaupapa tuku iho. It is these inherited values gifted by Māori ancestors that make Māori unique as a people, distinctive from all others on the planet. Te Wānanga o Raukawa has been working formally with these kaupapa for the past twenty years. They include manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, whakapapa, kotahitanga, wairuatanga, ūkaipōtanga, pūkengatanga, te reo, rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga.

Te Arahanga has recently reshaped its arrangements to support our six kaimahi to operate as independent contractors and to relocate the firm to offices at Te Wananga o Raukawa. We are now better able to tailor our teams to suit the needs of our client communities through a national network of Māori providers with a wide range of skills and experiences.